When I first began researching migraine and the migraine diet more in depth, I found everyone kept recommending the Heal Your Headache migraine diet from this book, Heal Your Headache - The 123 Program for Taking on Your Pain. I finally ordered it on Amazon and it was 10x more helpful than the majority of doctor visits I had experienced over the past year.
Dr. David Buchholz from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is the author and he is endorsed by many of the top migraine doctors like Robert B. Daroff from the American Headache Society and Ronald J. Tusa from the Dizziness and Balance Center at Emory University. In the book he gives a plethora of helpful information you won't necessarily get from your personal physician. This isn’t just a book about headaches, it’s a thorough overview of all types of migraine. It will show you how to find and avoid your potential triggers, including foods that trigger migraine attacks.
Jump to:
About Heal Your Headache
There are 3 sections to the book - avoiding the quick fix, reducing your triggers, raising your threshold. “Avoiding the quick fix” is about the standard migraine “abortives” that are widely available such as triptans (Imitrex, Relpax, Zomig), caffeine containing analgesics (Excedrin, Vanquish, Midol, etc.), and opioids and how they can cause rebound if used several times a month, perpetuating the migraine cycle.
“Raising Your Threshold” is about incorporating a daily preventative if you cannot get enough relief from the elimination diet and eliminating rebound migraines. “Reducing Your Triggers” focuses on the Heal Your Headache, or HYH diet, and how eliminating certain trigger foods can help to lower your overall threshold. By lowering your migraine threshold with the diet, you can experience unavoidable migraine triggers such as stress, bright lights, loud noises, and weather changes without them always triggering a migraine. This is the section I will focus most on because, as Dr. Buchholz states clearly, “If your goal is to control your headaches (or migraines) - and take as little medication as possible - the diet is the most valuable tool you have".
The Heal Your Headache Migraine Diet
The Heal Your Headache migraine diet is tough to follow in the beginning because you must “strictly avoid all potential dietary triggers”. I even cried in the first two weeks because I was so upset and frustrated. I believe once you focus on all the things you cannot have, which usually lasts for about a month, you begin to focus on what you can have all the great substitutions that are available. Plus it may take a few months to truly notice a difference, which adds to the initial frustration. I remember a month or two in thinking this diet was silly and I was going to try a little bit of yogurt. After all, I had eaten it almost every day for years before being diagnosed with vestibular migraine. What would it really do if I just had a dollop of tzatziki with my lamb? A few minutes after trying the yogurt, I felt like everything was moving at the dinner table. My vestibular migraine was back in full force and triggered almost immediately by the yogurt. Sure enough from then on, I stayed on the diet!
The Importance of High Tyramine and Histamine
Lets talk about the triggers. Some of these you hear as common triggers - caffeine, red wine, chocolate, but some are lesser known like lemons and nuts! This list was compiled based on years of research from Dr. Buchholz patients. Most contain some form of tyramine (aged or fermented foods) or histamine (citrus, nuts, aged cheese). According to WebMD “tyramine can cause nerve cells in your brain to release the chemical norepinephrine. Having higher levels of tyramine in your system -- along with an unusual level of brain chemicals -- can cause changes in the brain that lead to headaches.”
Histamines, according to MBG Health,“cause your blood vessels to swell, or dilate, so that your white blood cells can quickly find and attack the infection or problem. The histamine buildup is what gives you a headache and leaves you feeling flushed, itchy and miserable. This is part of the body’s natural immune response, but if you don’t break down histamine properly, you could develop what we call histamine intolerance.”
Triggers according to the Heal Your Headache Migraine Diet:
Caffeine - coffee, tea, sodas. Unfortunately decaf coffee and tea should be avoided as well since most contain chemical triggers and are not fully decaffeinated . The best substitute you can find are CO2 or Swiss Water Processed decaf coffees which are naturally processed and 99.9% caffeine free.
Chocolate - this includes organic dark, cacao nibs…anything you might think is “healthy chocolate”. White chocolate is allowed as long as it does not contain additives. It’s not actually chocolate!
Carob is considered "questionable" according to Dr Buccholz.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) - I know you think you don’t eat MSG. It’s not on any of your labels! What you may not know is that it’s actually considered a natural flavoring. It can be labeled as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, carrageenan, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate. See the chart for all the names.
Processed Meats and Fish- Canned, aged, cured, fermented, smoked, tenderized, marinated meats and fish. Most contain nitrates or nitrites as preservatives. These include hot dogs, ham, jerky, sausage, pepperoni, most deli meats, smoked or pickled fish, bacon, and anchovies. Beef or chicken livers also contain a high amount of tyramine.
Aged Cheese and Dairy Products - “The more aged, the worse” according to Buchholz. This includes gouda, parmesan, cheddar, brie, manchego, swiss, blue…all the good stuff. However, there are some fresh cheeses you can still have as long as they don’t have additives. FRESH mozzarella (not aged or smoked), ricotta (beware of carrageenan here), cream cheese, cottage cheese, boursin, and good quality American cheese. Yogurt and buttermilk should also be eliminated. Organic milk and cream, hemp milk, rice milk, and oat milk are all OK. Watch for additives in these. Carrageenan is a definite no, but gellan gum is allowable if there is no cleaner alternative. Update - I've seen a lot of people using sour cream and creme fraiche. Don't do it! Creme fraiche is usually part buttermilk that's fermented with cream.
Nuts - All kinds must go, including nut butters. Peanuts, which are legumes but fit well in this area, are also to be eliminated. Good substitutes that are allowed are sunflower seeds and sunbutter, tahini (sesame seed butter), and pumpkin seeds. All seeds are allowed on the HYH diet.
Buchholz includes coconut under nuts, but coconut can technically be classified as a drupe fruit, nut, or seed! The other confusing part is coconut is allowed on another, more strict migraine diet, The Charleston Diet, from the Charleston Headache and Neuroscience Center. From what I have seen, it seems many on HYH can tolerate coconut. Because of this, and because it doesn’t seem to be a huge trigger for many, I will include it in some recipes. If you are just beginning the diet or if you find it is a trigger for you, you should definitely eliminate it.
Alcohol and Vinegars (except distilled white) - “Especially red wine, champagne, and dark or heavy liquors” says Buchholz. Vodka is best tolerated as well as clear distilled liquors and organic white wines, but these should be eliminated at the beginning of the diet until a steady place is found. This has to do mostly with the aging processes and fermentation, however some wines do contain added chemicals that appear to affect migraines even more than sulfites. Clear, distilled white vinegar is allowed, but other vinegars, like balsamic, are not.
Certain Fruits and Juices - Citrus fruit such as lemons, limes, grapefruit, and oranges etc. Bananas, pineapple, raspberries, red plums, papaya, passion fruit, figs, dates, and avocados should all be eliminated. Raisins and dried fruits with sulfites must be avoided. Once you are feeling better you can incorporate organic dried fruits that have no added sulfites (check labels).
Onions, Pea Pods, and Certain Beans - Broad italian, lima, fava, navy, and lentils should be eliminated due to high tyramine. Garlic, spring/green onions, shallots, and leeks are allowed and good substitutes for all onions. Sauerkraut and kimchi, since they are fermented, are off limits.
Fresh Yeast-Risen Baked Goods - This includes all baked breads less than one day old, especially sourdough due to the fermentation. Bagels, donuts, pizza dough, pretzels, muffins, etc. You can bake or buy all of these things and let them sit 24 hours for them to be safe to eat. Even if not a day old, look for additives like “malted barley flour” as that should be avoided because of glutamic acid. Pre-made naan is great for making pizzas, but watch for yogurt in it.
* There is no indication in Heal Your Headache that gluten is a definite trigger. If you would like to eliminate gluten because you think it may be a problem for you personally - go for it! I personally tried Gluten Free after my first few months of HYH to see if it would make an impact on my symptoms, but had a lot of success before I added it. Just be wary of additives. Sometimes I find gluten free foods actually contain more migraine trigger ingredients than fresh breads from your local baker.
Aspartame (Nutrasweet)- Saccharin (Sweet N Low) can sometimes trigger. Sucralose (splenda) and stevia (Truvia) should be ok, but would avoid if you can at first.
Soy products - Miso, tempeh, soy protein isolate, soy sauce. Soy milk and flour are less risky, but should be avoided in the beginning, and soy oil is safe.
Leftovers that have been in the fridge a couple of days - This one is based on the build up of tyramine that can occur in "safe" foods over time. I find that this is highly specific to the individual. I can usually tolerate foods that have been left in the fridge a max of 3-4 days, but I have also seen people who cannot even tolerate crockpot meals or broth that has been simmered for several hours. If you do have leftovers, it's a good idea to freeze them right away and then thaw as needed. My standard recommendation is to not let them go past 2-3 days during elimination.
Other potential triggers include tomatoes and mushrooms...or a number of other things that are completely individual - While mushrooms and tomatoes aren’t on the “no” list, they could be triggers for you based on them being a more common trigger for others. These two foods are high in natural glutamate.
If you haven’t eliminated them and are not feeling better after 3 months, consider adding them to the “no” foods from the HYH diet. I will cook with these in recipes, but I will also try to give you substitutes or allow you to eliminate them if possible. I’ve also seen people with seemingly random triggers such as cinnamon, spinach, strawberries, or shellfish. These could potentially indicate a higher intolerance to histamine, in which case you could further eliminate more foods high in histamine.
Foods You CAN Eat on the Heal Your Headache Diet
Before you start feeling depressed that you can't eat anything you love, please read this post about things you CAN eat. There's actually quite a bit! Most of the recipes on this website (unless specifically called out as a reintroduction recipe), and all the recipes in my cookbook The Dizzy Cook, fit this diet.
If the Heal Your Headache migraine elimination diet ever seems too extreme for you, or you have other restrictions like gluten and dairy free, I highly recommend looking into my Mediterranean Migraine Diet, which focuses on the right foods to include for migraine disorders rather than elimination.
The Migraine Threshold
While Buchholz is very clear that diet alone will not eliminate your migraine attacks, myself as well as many others have had great success with raising our overall thresholds for developing a migraine by following the diet closely. You should eliminate all the “no” foods for at least 4 months depending on how you are feeling.
Sometimes it can take longer than 4 months to see a large difference, so don't expect to see changes overnight. If you begin to feel better and notice your migraines are under control, you can begin to introduce some of your favorite “no” foods. I would personally begin with the things you are REALLY craving (I’m looking at you, avocados).
The idea is to test the potential trigger food for 4-5 days in a row to see if a migraine presents itself. This can be tricky because one day your threshold for a migraine could be much lower due to stress, weather, hormones, etc. and you could instantly get a migraine, whereas on good days where your threshold is higher, you could eat the trigger food and get by with it, not even realizing it’s a trigger.
Also some trigger foods can produce a migraine as much as 24-48 hours later, allowing you to blame incorrect foods for the migraine. This is why it’s a good idea to keep a journal of what you ate and any outside triggers that occurred that day and test potential trigger foods on several different days.
When to Stop a Migraine Elimination Diet
It's important to remember that a migraine diet like Heal Your Headache is meant to be temporary. It is not meant to go longer than 4-6 months on it without reintroducing foods, or slightly longer if you're seeing amazing results. If you're not seeing any results (slight changes still count!) after 4 months, it's my recommendation to revisit your treatment plan with your physician outside of a migraine diet. A migraine elimination diet does not work for everyone because not everyone will have food triggers. It needs to be combined with proper medications, supplements, and other treatments for maximum effectiveness.
By eliminating too many foods and not eating enough variety, gut health issues can present themselves over time. If you eat a varied diet while on HYH, this shouldn't be an issue. To do this, it's important to always include a protein, fiber, and healthy fat in a well-balanced meal. Include lots of fruits, vegetables, and healthy proteins from the allowed foods throughout the day.
If you begin to feel that everything is a food trigger, this can indicate gut imbalance and a dietitian is needed to help navigate this. I also recommend the help of a dietitian if you struggle with variety, food aversions, and additional intolerances.
Migraine Diet Information
How to Start A Migraine Elimination Diet
Foods ALLOWED on the Migraine Diet
Vestibular Migraine Prevention Diet
Pantry Staples for Heal Your Headache
How to Find Migraine Food Triggers
FREE 5 Day Meal Plan
Migraine Diet Recipes
I also highly recommend purchasing the Heal Your Headache book before you begin which really dives into the details.
Myriam says
Hi Alicia,
since a few weeks, I do the HYH diet. My head is fine yet, BUT I cannot sleep in the night, I always feel I have a lack of nutrition and my hair tells me the same. (I have to avoid gluten and all milk products, too). I eat meat and fish once/twice a week.
My body seems to need almonds, I gues...
Have you ever heard about sleep problems during the diet? I understood Dr.Buchholz that nutrition supplementas are not a good solution? I feel really weak. Cannot go on like this.
Thank you for answering me,
Myriam.
Alicia says
Hi Myriam,
HYH is a very good diet if you're not limiting yourself too much in other areas. Are you still eating lots of fruits and vegetables? Are you getting enough fat in your diet? Have you seen the list of all the things you can have? I had heavy hair loss before I started the diet, most likely from stress, but a lot of it cleared up as I started to improve. I'm guessing there's a part of it that's missing for you. Have you tried sunflower seed butter? I often sub almonds with sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Since you aren't having dairy, it might be that you need to get your nutrients in other areas like with lots of olive oil, fatty fish like salmon, seeds, and leafy greens like broccoli rabe and kale for calcium.
By nutrition supplements do you mean protein powders or actual supplements? I take a lot of magnesium glycinate, which helps me sleep at night. Magnesium is very calming for many people and they find it helps them sleep through the night. You might want to also look into taking melatonin. Sleep can often be interrupted by Migraine in general, so I think getting it under control will help you overall.
Valerie says
Hi Alicia -
After from going from Dr. to Dr. with my daily dizziness for over 2 years now I have been diagnosed with migraines. I found your site and am addicted to it -(still getting thru everything). My first question is - now that the fall season is upon us - do you have a safe Chicken Stock that I can purchase - instead of making my own? I am a busy mom, full time worker and sometimes do not have the time to make from scratch. I would love to have something safe I can buy. I love making and eating soups this time of year. BTW - cant wait another minute for your cookbook!
Alicia says
Hey Valerie, I'm so happy you're loving my site and you finally got a diagnosis! Totally understand about making it from scratch. There's really no great options out there. Pacific Foods Vegetable Broth (low sodium) and Trader Joe's (Hearty Vegetable) both have onion, but I did use them throughout my elimination diet in a pinch and found they didn't bother me. You may just have to test it. I think getting rid of MSG is the most important in this case. There's a few other options in my pantry staples post. Good luck with the diet - let me know how it goes!
rosjane says
Is sourdough bread okay to eat if it is a day old? Or is this bread off the safe eating list altogether?
Alicia says
Sourdough should really be avoided because of the fermentation, however you can do regular wheat or white breads, bagels, etc if they're a day old. You might find this post helpful for sandwich breads - https://thedizzycook.com/2018/08/27/the-best-sandwich-ever/
Lisa Appelbaum says
I've gotten used to eliminating various foods and have fun getting creative with my cooking. I especially like trying different spice combos. I have been trying all kinds of things over the years. I was able to figure out some personal triggers back when I was episodic, but now that I'm chronic I'm having a hard time making any headway with my diet. I worry that when eliminating things, I may just be replacing it with something else that is a trigger too. Or that maybe I'm suffering a nocebo effect where I get symptoms because I believe some food is harmful to me when it is not.
PS pineapple is not a citrus and carob is not chocolate. I make a delicious fruit dip with coconut butter, cocoa butter (not white chocolate), and roasted carob powder. I like it with tart apple slices.
Alicia says
I think in that case it's good to remember that diet is just a small part of overall treatment of chronic migraine. We're quick to blame food triggers, but really it was probably a number of things including stress, lack of sleep, etc. It seems to be easier if you ignore what other people's triggers are or other diets and just focus on the one diet you're trying to follow - whether it's this one, keto, or even low histamine. I see lists try to combine everything and it's just too restrictive.
Thank you, I've updated the list to not have that confusion but it is just easier to group them with the items they usually sit with at the store. Dr. Buccholz mentions carob is questionable, but I know quite a few tolerate it well.
Nancy Panyon Fick says
Hey Alicia,
Nancy here again. I now have a question about dried cranberries that do not contain sulphites. Can we eat these? I bought organic sweetened with organic apple juice. Would these be okay to eat and put into energy bars?
Alicia says
Hi Nancy, Yes! The ones without sulfites are fine.
Mrs. Robinson says
I cannot eat anything that has been chargrilled or smoked. It equals an instant migraine.
Dawn M Kellogg says
Hi so glad I found your web site. I have had issues with imbalance for almost 2 years. My Dr. finally sent me to a specialist and I was diagnosed with vestibular migraine. Taking several herbs and vitamins that were recommended; but have not followed the 123 Program, Heal your Headache Diet. I drink too much coffee and I have a binge eating disorder, currently Bagels and butter. I ordered the book a while ago; but it arrived with mold, so I returned it and did not follow diet at all. I just purchase another book today. My imbalance has not improved with the herbs. I'm hoping with encouragement from you I will follow the recommended diet. Thanks so much
Alicia says
Hi Dawn, Let me know if I can help in any way! I hope you have been following the diet and feeling a little bit better. Coffee was definitely one of my worst triggers.
Nikolau Ratchev says
Hi Alicia, i have a question,
as it described, the fruits that are allowed, is it possible to eat the allowed fruits as much as i want?
Thanks
Alicia says
Hi Nikolau, Yes! You can eat as much fruit as you want. I just received your email and will respond later today or tomorrow. 🙂
Rachel says
Thank you for telling about this book! I was very curious and wondering if it was worth purchasing. I am going to go buy it and give it a shot.
Alicia says
I think you'll really enjoy it! Some of the information about rebound is a little outdated, but it's a very informative book and one of the best "migraine" books that I've read. Let me know what you think!
Heidi says
Yes i am doing it with a vestibular therapist, it is quiet gentle so it's not too bad 🙂 thank you, I see what mayo you use but I'm in the uk and can't seem to find a mayo that is safe :/
I often buy a tuna pasta salad from morrisons supermarket but I think it may have something nasty hidden in.. it has pasta mayo cucumber and lettuce and tuna but it says contains egg fish wheat and sulphites..
Thank you
Alicia says
That's great about the VRT! Hopefully you'll see results soon from all your hard work. Is it possible you can access primal kitchen's mayo? The avocado oil should be safe since it's so processed.
Heidi says
Hiya, thank you for your reply,yes I have been given a diet to follow which consists of the 6 c''s so chocolate and cheese cured meats ect.. I think I'm being too hard on myself as I have been doing it for 2 months and I haven't seen a difference and am sat thinking why is this not working! I think I need patience, I am also doing VRT 3 times a day so I'm hoping in time I will see a difference.
I will make the mayo because I absolutely love tuna salad so I can make that for lunch every day 🙂
I will look through your recipes and give them a go! I am reading hyh and I read about the tuna and making sure it's not hydrolyzed, I have found a John west one and it doesn't say that it is hydrolyzed so I'm guessing that it is a safe bet.
Thank you again for replying i really appreciate all your advice 🙂
Heidi x
Alicia says
Haha, yes! Just give it a little more time. I'm sure the stress over it is not helping too! Know that there are other diets out there that can help if this one doesn't work for you. I think HYH is a little easier to follow and more clear than the 6 c's, but that's still a good diet to start. You have lots of options! Also VRT 3x a day is a lot! Are you doing it on your own or with a vestibular therapist? Make sure you aren't doing too much, our crazy brains need some time to rest too. Good for you for keeping up with it. I know you will see results with time.
I love tuna salad too and there's a great recipe here I make all the time. Yes, John west is great! I found this one and it's probably the best option (https://www.john-west.co.uk/product-information/tuna-chunks-in-spring-water) make sure you aren't getting flavorings in there too.
Selina says
Dear, you and your blog is most relief in our journey, than any other things! thanks for your power and all information, diet plans are really helpful and make it easier to follow. I had this all symptoms and no one understands what is wrong with me just said its stress and anxiety. but I knew its something above all. I was so active, a cheerful designer who always encourage others and after cold or it was a virus, I don't know all of the sudden starts. and it's now 4years that I'm struggling with this and searching so many times I found that there are days that are good and after eating something it starts me vomit, head pressure, head pulse. I knew it was something else than stress, but stress, crying, running or some workout, flying, drinking caffeine or alcohol, cheese, chocolate, onion, avocado makes me down but I couldn't believe they can be the reason! and also sunbath. I can't tolerate besides that I really like the sun, so once I went to rehabilitation therapy and the wanted me to stand on one-foot eye close it was awful, so they said I need to do it but it was worse. I know Alicia that he blog is for safe food receipt but if it is possible for you could you please explain about a workout? I can't live without workout it is so bad, do you see any improvement doing? or you skip a workout? Thanks for your time
Alicia says
Hey Selina, I'm so glad you found it helpful. Sorry to hear about how hard it has been, I know the feeling. Sometimes vestibular therapy can make things worse if the therapist pushes you too hard. Short sessions are best with someone who is very experienced with VM.
I do see improvement with exercise but you definitely have to build up to it. I started with short walks, then longer walks as I could tolerate them. From there I tried a beginning ballet class and some restorative yoga. Then graduated to spin classes (where I went at my own pace) and finally I can do more HIIT style workouts. I still get a little dizzy after but it always subsides. Here's a post I did on how ballet helped me.
Heidi says
Thank you for your reply, I notice you use mayo, is normal mayo good to eat as I have been avoiding it due to the eggs? I have also stopped eating wheat as I have read it can be a trigger for some people but this means I have had to cut out a lot of foods including digestive biscuits which I love,I was also going to cut out meat, do you think I'm cutting out too much? I am so desperate to feel better, do you ever suffer now or are you good most of the time? I didn't know goat's cheese was OK? I have only been having soya milk as a source of dairy since 3rd of may 2018, so far I don't feel any different, did you have medication too or just the diet alone helped?
Sorry for all the questions
Heidi x
Alicia says
Hi Heidi, It's no problem! I think you might be cutting out too much to start and getting confused with what others have eliminated. That would be so overwhelming. If you can just start with the basic list here and make sure you follow it really closely, I think you will have better luck. If you're still not making progress after 4 months you can try cutting out wheat, dairy, eggs, and other potential triggers, but they are not required to eliminate right away. You can find pretty good, clean mayo or make your own from the recipe on this site. Don't let what other's say their triggers are confuse you! That does not mean they are YOUR triggers. 🙂 If I can make a recommendation, it would be to eliminate the soya milk. I know Dr Buchholz says it can be ok, but you are safer with like a grass fed/organic whole milk (if not dairy free), or hemp seed/oat milk. I say this because soya isoflavones can act like estrogen, which is known to increase migraine. That's also why birth control pills can be a cause of migraine.
The diet can take 3-6 months to really notice a difference so be patient with yourself. If you haven't noticed it by September, then I would look into eliminating gluten, eggs, and/or dairy. Do you think that could be easier for you? Fresh goat cheese is ok, look for the "chevre" kind! It's not an aged cheese.
I do have bad days, but overall I feel fairly normal again. It's definitely only a passing dizziness rather than the all day 24/7 dizziness/ataxia/vertigo symptoms I used to have. I did need to do .5mg-.25mg of ativan for a few months in the beginning and now the only medication I do is timolol eye drops (a beta blocker), plus all my supplements from this post. Some people can do well with natural treatments and other needs the help of medication - either way is not right or wrong! It just depends on your life and what's best for you. Has your neurologist given you a plan since you've been diagnosed? I promise you will get there and feel relief, it just takes a while to find the right combination for you. It probably took me a year of faithful following HYH diet, Vestibular therapy, supplements/meds, hydration and exercise to get to where I had normal days again. It's hard work and you will go through very frustrating days where you feel like nothing is working and it's a waste of time and money, but it's so worth it to stick with it!
Heidi says
Hiya,
I have been diagnosed with vestibular migraine 1 month ago, as I can see lots of people also suffer with the overwhelming shopping trip where you feel like there is nothing you can eat!! How long after you started the migrane diet did you feel a difference, I have been buying lots of food in the "free from" range that do not have gluten or wheat, would you say these are safe alternatives,
Do you have any idea for quick and easy meals to take to work?
Also are the seasame snaps safe to eat?
Thank you
Heidi
Alicia says
Hi! I'm so glad you're trying it! It does get easier, I promise. That's where the pantry staples post really helps with what to buy. I'm also working on some pdf sheets of grocery lists and meal plans that will be available to the email subscribers within the next few weeks.
Are you cutting out gluten and wheat because you have a known allergy? I do a lot of gluten free because people often add it to the HYH diet, but I was not gluten free when I first started Heal Your Headache. It's not really required unless you have a sensitivity or if you're not feeling a difference. I'm testing it now to see if it makes any difference, but I got a lot of relief just with the regular HYH diet. Just wanted to make sure before you eliminate something you might not have to! I find that a lot of gluten free items in the stores aren't necessarily better. They're often packed with potential migraine triggers (like xanthan gum, nuts, and flavorings) and additives. I like Crunchmaster's gluten free multi grain crackers with sea salt, trader joe's gluten free quinoa pasta, and trader joes GF oats for some of the staples. I have yet to find a gluten free bread that's safe, but there's a local gluten free bakery here that makes one where the only trigger is apple cider vinegar. If you have a local GF bakery, I'd check it out!
Easy meals to take to work are this Simple Tuna Salad or Chicken salad (chicken, diced celery, mayo, green onion + either pomegranate seeds or diced carrots). Often I'll wrap veggies like carrots, cucumber, lettuce, roasted red peppers in a safe wrap with some cream cheese or goat cheese. This pasta salad is good to make ahead too. If you have a whole foods, their "naked" organic rotisserie chicken is safe and will make your life a little easier!
Sesame snaps (at least the ones I found online) are safe. 🙂 You can always either join The Dizzy Cook Recipe facebook group and upload pics or share them with the Migraine Strong group and people are really helpful to tell you if something is safe or not!
Rachel says
Alicia, I wondered if Sprouts unseasoned roasted chicken from the rotisserie is safe as well?
Alicia says
It should be fine
Meredith says
Hi, I'm so happy to find your blog! Can you help though, I'm really confused on the bread part. As all the bread I've seen has yeast, can I still eat it if it's more than a day old but contains yeast? Sorry if that's a stupid question!
Alicia says
Hi Meredith, I'm so happy too! Yes, you can eat yeast risen bread as long as it's a day old. So if you were to make it or get it fresh from a bakery, then you'd have to wait a day. If you buy the pre-packaged bread in a store though, it's good to go! Honestly, most of the yeast dies in the baking process so you'll be better off getting a "clean" bread without additives or msg than anything.
Shasta says
Hi Alicia!
I was diagnosed 4 weeks ago with Vestibular Migraines, and so far I've figured out cheddar, soy and MSG are culprits of my dizziness. I would do the full HYH diet, but I honestly don't know how to even begin meal planning for this. Do you have pointers? A list of your meal plan? I've already cried in a grocery store trying to figure this out and would like to avoid that, so any pointers would be super appreciated.
Alicia says
Hey Shasta! Don't worry, I was at a total loss for what to eat my first 2 months and cried all the time...and now I have a blog about it. It gets easier! If you want to give me some ideas of what kind of time you have and how much you like to cook, I can sort of individualize some suggestions for you. I've been working on creating some meal plans for a few posts, but it is taking me a while. This is what usually works for me.
Breakfast - smoothies. I'll usually do a version of the sunbutter smoothie, blueberry smoothie, or the cherry smoothie I'm posting this week. I'll just buy the frozen fruit ahead of time and do a large order of basics (like mulberries, chia, maca, etc.) that I store in mason jars. Overnight oats is another good option. I like 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/3 cup hemp milk (or your favorite milk), 1 tsp chia, and 1/2 tsp vanilla in a mason jar. You can add frozen blueberries, cherries, seeds, cinnamon, honey...whatever you like. Just let it sit overnight and it's ready to go.
For lunch I'll do either the tuna salad recipe I posted, the same recipe but with chicken for chicken salad, or use the simple dressing from the "kitchen basics" post on mixed greens with goat cheese, toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and some kind of fruit like pears, strawberries or blueberries. Primizie Crisps simply salted, plain potato chips, plain triscuit crackers are all options for snacks.
Snacks - I'll make hummus without lemon juice, sunbutter and apples, goat cheese or ricotta with honey and crackers. I highly suggest trying my buckwheat granola or sunbutter energy balls (keep those in the fridge).
For dinner, I used to keep it super simple. Grilled steak (seasoned with salt and pepper) + roasted veggies and/or potatoes. Roasted salmon (with salt and pepper, dill and chives) + simple salad. Mediterranean baked halibut or honey garlic chicken or Moroccan Chicken. If you have time, the pulled pork (either instapot or bbq recipes) are WONDERFUL to make on Sunday and then either use the next 2 days or freeze for the week. I'll put it in tacos (either lettuce wraps or HYH safe ones), stuff it into sweet potatoes, put it on salad. If you need something super easy and can tolerate tomatoes, check out the Pantry Staples post for my favorite marinara sauces (like Rao's sensitive and Cucina Antica garlic marinara) that are approved. You can throw that on spaghetti squash or pasta with a little fresh mozzarella and basil...it's so easy.
I'll typically make a list of anything that sounds good to me or things I want to try and grocery shop for 3-4 days at a time. I ALWAYS stay stocked on sunbutter, seeds, white vinegar, honey, and a lot of the "pantry staples" I talk about. One day a week we'll eat out so I can have a break. When we do that I'll usually get grilled fish or plain burgers, unless I know a meal is safe. I hope that helps!
Beth says
I just started on the HYH diet about 10 days ago. Have been diagnosed with vestibular migraine by a neurologist. So far, I'm amazed by two improvements: first, my overall mood and energy level has definitely improved. Second, within two days -- seriously! -- my previously intractable stiff neck began to improve. I just saw my physical therapist and she said I have a lot more range of motion in my neck than I had just a couple of weeks ago. I have a long way to go, but I'm very encouraged by these results. Thank you for creating this website.
Just want to mention: you have citric acid on the MSG list, but the book says it is okay (see pg. 86 of the paperback edition). I know I've seen it on other lists, but I've also seen seeds listed as trigger foods, so obviously there's variation. Is this why you listed it?
Also, I'm wondering what you think about modified food starches. In table 7 ("Potential Sources of MGS") on pg. 81 of the book, Dr. Buchholz lists "Enzyme-modified items." I found this to be a little mystifying; then I remembered that I recently researched modified food starches and discovered that many of them are produced using enzymes. As I avoid gluten (was tested and diagnosed as non-celiac gluten sensitive by an expert in the field). Virtually all gluten-free baked goods are created using various types of food starch. There's no info available as to how these starches are produced, although many are produced using various enzymes (apparently to separate out the starch and such). There are a number of sites online that assert that this type of food starch -- not that which is just part of natural foods, like potatoes -- are migraine triggers. I've eliminated foods containing these types of starches, and am suddenly able to lose the stubborn weight I've been unable to lose, and my gut feels a lot better. Wondering what your thoughts might be on this topic.
Alicia says
That's amazing! I'm so glad you've seen so much improvement already. That's very promising you will do very well months from now too. Citric acid and the gums towards the bottom of the list are technically "ok" according to HYH. I choose to have them on the list so people can be aware of them and note if there's any reaction. I think they're best to avoid in general, if possible.
Your comment over the enzyme modified items is interesting and I had to research it! It's crazy how much conflicting information there is about this and I've never personally thought about it. I'm not gluten free as I've had extensive testing done and was found not sensitive, BUT I have been curious if I should cut it out completely to see if I do feel better. I normally don't eat a lot of gluten containing products in general and sometimes I feel the subs for gluten free are even worse than just eating the gluten itself. I probably wouldn't see it as a huge concern if you're only baking with it occasionally, but if it's something you use several times a week then I can see it being a trigger. If you search for "Jenn's Baking Corner" Jennifer has a lot of recipes where she uses only oat flour and rice flour separately instead of the pre-made flours. This would actually be a wonderful question I'll have to ask her about since she is GF. If you haven't joined already, there's a group called Migraine Strong on Facebook that I think you'd really enjoy. It's a great place to have in depth discussions about things like this. There's always someone who is wondering the same thing!
Amy Wehri says
Hello, I’ve recently found this book and am wanting to follow the food plan. I also have vestibular migraines. However I’m feeling very overwhelmed and am not sure what we CAN eat. Many of the food not allowed I was eating as I was following the wheat belly diet. Could you please offer some insight? Thanks!
Alicia says
Hi Amy! I'm glad you found the site. It is very overwhelming at first, but I promise it gets easier. I take a screenshot of the hidden MSG names and keep them on my phone so I have an easy reference at the grocery store.
I also have been thinking it's about time to make a list of things one can eat. All of the recipes on here are safe, but I'd like to do a big print out. In the meantime, pgs 220-223 in Heal Your Headache have a list at the bottom of all the items that are ok to eat. My typical day consists of a smoothie or oats with sunbutter, chicken salad or tuna salad, and one of the meals that I post on here.
Charlotte Dorris says
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am encouraged that life will go on . . .(ha-ha) I have been dizzy since 2015, along with additional issues that Dr. Bucholtz mentions in the book.
(Heavy arms & hands, neck & head feeling like they weigh 100 lbs, and" burning throat," "which he doesn't mention.( The Dr. said it was "dry throat", .)
I am going to give this my best shot and tell others about it. Hope is a wonderful thing!
Again, than